Infinito maps the 24 hours onto a figure-eight, where day and night move in opposite directions across two distinct yet interconnected lobes, reflecting the principle of polarity that governs every system in motion.
Genesis
The idea of Infinity comes from the observation that the hourglass and the infinity symbol share the same silhouette, yet express opposite meanings. One represents a time destined to run out, the other a continuous, endless flow. A single shape, two opposing visions of time: limit and continuity.
And it is in the gesture that overturns the hourglass that a decisive element for the project’s vision emerges: will. Time runs out as the sand falls, yet a human action can restart the cycle and make it, in fact, potentially infinite.
The difference between duration and continuity is not in the form, but in the intention. This ability to transform a time that ends into a time that regenerates is one of the insights that guided Infinity: time is not only what happens, but what we choose to renew. Infinity thus becomes not only a natural trajectory but a symbol of the human ability to shape one’s own cycle, to move through phases — light and dark, action and stillness — while maintaining a continuous link between opposites.
Philosophy and Archetypes
The guiding principle of the project is the alternation of opposites forming a complete cycle. This same principle is expressed in the sinusoid: a movement in which every phase exists only through its opposite.
The heart beats, the breath alternates expansion and contraction, the tides rise and fall, the seasons follow one another in a continuous process of regeneration. Time does not move in a straight line: it oscillates.
The infinity symbol embodies this same dynamic balance between two poles. It is not a static sign, but the visual synthesis of a perpetual cycle.
This form does not belong only to mathematics. The infinity symbol appears in architecture, sacred geometry, music and cosmology as an ancient archetype, reinterpreted across cultures and centuries.
From this understanding arose the intuition to use the infinity symbol not as a decorative element, but as the very structure of time: a continuous path on which to place the 24 hours, naturally separating the two halves of the day — daytime above, nighttime below.
Reading the 24 Hours
Infinity uses the figure-eight layout to separate the 24 hours into two distinct areas: daytime in the upper lobe, nighttime in the lower one. Hours are not indicated by a traditional hand, but by two indicators: the sun for day and the moon for night.
The upper lobe is dedicated to daytime hours, covering the interval from 6:00 to 18:00. The sun indicator travels along this arc in a clockwise direction, showing where we are within the diurnal phase.
The lower lobe is dedicated to nighttime hours, covering the interval from 18:00 to 6:00. The moon indicator follows the same logic, rotating counterclockwise and mapping the nocturnal phase in continuity with the daytime arc above.
Each indicator is mounted on a system composed of a main plate rotating at “hour speed”:
– clockwise for the upper dial (day)
– counterclockwise for the lower one (night).
Inside each main plate there is a tilting sub-plate. This element flips 180° at the two key transition moments — 6 and 18 — allowing the indicators to alternate.
When a phase begins, the sub-plate aligns horizontally and its indicator becomes visible. When it ends, the sub-plate flips and that indicator disappears, while the other emerges in its own lobe.
At 9 o’clock there is a rotating 24-hour dial, completing its cycle once per day and divided into the four main moments: Aurora, Meridies, Vespera, Nox.
It works as a cartographic view of the entire cycle, complementing the position of the sun and moon in the main figure-eight structure.
Design Process
Three-dimensionality and light/shadow
The dial is not flat: each component has thickness, depth and a precise position.
Three-dimensionality allows light and shadow to become part of the reading.
Complexity of the 24 hours
Distributing twenty-four indexes without weighing down the dial requires accurate balance.
The figure-eight structure allows each hour to receive a precise space, following the natural
alternation of the day.
Materials and response to light
The different collections were born as digital explorations of light.
Glossy, matte or brushed surfaces change the way the lobes of the figure-eight shape emerge.
Motion Study
The animation reveals the functional motion of the infinity dial: the sun–moon cycle, the continuous flow of time across the two lobes, and the logic of their exchange.
Collections
A visual overview of the main Infinity Watch families. Each collection explores a different material combination, finish and presence on the wrist.
Orbital
Infinito
Chronos
Astral
Nox Profundis
Glacialis
Conclusion
Infinity is the synthesis of many things that belong to me: the search for beauty, the relationship between space and time, and the exploration of the universe’s hidden mathematical and geometric orders.
Contact
For those who wish to explore the Infinity project further or learn more about my work as a watch designer, I am available for direct contact.
Email: dariodimatteo78@hotmail.it
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dario-di-matteo-9034a1a1